


The Heart of the Matter

by GoddessOfGanon



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-10-07
Updated: 2015-10-07
Packaged: 2018-04-25 05:43:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,871
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4948837
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoddessOfGanon/pseuds/GoddessOfGanon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's the night of Ganondorf and Zelda's engagement party, though something is holding the Gerudo king back from celebrating.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Heart of the Matter

_The night was filled with light, champagne and laughter._

               The princess of Hyrule looked over the palace gardens fondly, as a swirl of skirts and coattails danced in a divine revelry, dancing and drinking the summer night away. Her smile slipped from her face when her scan of the gardens did not reveal the one whom she was looking for.

               Zelda waded through a tide of bubbly toasts gliding dancers to the western wall of the castle’s courtyard, where a cobblestone walkway hidden behind the trellis would lead her to hidden archway she had been drawn to since her arrival to the party. It hadn’t been easy to untangle herself from the throng of well-meaning emissaries and nobles- they were celebrating _her_ engagement after all, and it seemed only cordial for her to accept their words of felicitations before she slipped so soundly into the night, leaving them slightly baffled though mostly wasted.

               She walked softly down the corridor, dappled with the moonlight that broke through the trellis that ran along the length of the side wall, thick with the season’s blossoms. There was a slight spring in her step that she couldn’t hide. The night was going near perfect, spare the fact that the one person she was meant to share it with was missing. It took her little time to seek him out; he still smelled like the desert even after months of residing in her palace. She loved the way he made her pillows smell like the scorched sun on frosty nights. Ganondorf Dragmire in  _her_ palace, soon to be  _theirs._

               She had yet to see him in the robes she had specifically tailored for this night, and the first sight of him made her briefly consider not returning to the festivities at all. He donned black silken robes, stitched finely with Gerudo emblems, drawn together with a thick golden sash that hugged his middle. He wore the topaz ornamentation that was customary of his people, threaded through his hair and placed in the center of his forehead, though he lacked the armor that was his second skin. He had assumed Zelda had put in that alteration to make him look less imposing. More vulnerable, to the men in the courtyard that scorned him so.

               “You’re hiding.” She murmured, ducking beneath the vinery that lined the corridor. He had to straighten against the wall for her to fit; in the narrow space they were close enough to embrace, though he remained reserved. Zelda’s features dipped into a frown. She couldn’t recall a time when he hadn’t seized the opportunity to whisk her into a darkened corridor to ravish her for an hour or so.

               “How about you join the party?” She asked lightly, smoothing her hands over the front of his robes. “It’s partly for you, you know. And it wasn’t easy to import that wine you love in such short notice. I will be inconsolable if you miss the chance to enjoy it.” His sour thoughts were briefly elevated by the smile the princess gave him. Her maids had doused her in some sort of shimmering glitter that made her appear ethereal in the sliver of moonlight that reached them from the corridor. The loose lavender dress she wore had a neckline that dipped further than may be excusable for the warm weather, though her unbound hair covered most of what would be controversial. She looked like a goddess, meanwhile he, in his black robes and flaming red hair, was a demon.

               “Do you know who they’re expecting you to bring out this evening?” His voice was a low rumble, one she had to draw closer to hear. “The Hero from Kakariko. They will sooner run away in terror when I’m revealed. They all loathe me. I have no reason to doubt they’ll decide to roast me alive if they run out of second servings of pork during dinner.”

               “You have not even heard what my council has to say.” She retorted.

               “I already know what they’ll say.  _What and obvious monster,_ is what they’ll say. If they felt the same way when the served your father on council, they’ll feel the same way now. Pardon me, love, but I cannot believe even you could work past their thick skulls.”

               Zelda bit her lip. It was useless to deny how many unfavorable bids her council had put forward towards Ganondorf. He knew it, too, despite being denied presence in their meetings. “What of the times you’ve been at war? I have heard countless stories from your sisters of your forthright valor on the battlefield. You haven’t let animosity deter you then. Why now?”

               “War is reserved for blind hate. I’ve seen countless soldiers charge towards me, and they don’t know who I am, but  _what_ I am. The enemy. It’s too impersonal for me to return such disdain. Your council, however, has had the pleasure of meeting my acquaintance, and I assure you they hate me much more than those young soldiers did for bedding their beloved princess.”

               “I doubt they know you  _that_ personally.” She stammered, a blush rising to her cheeks that she prayed was concealed in the shadows they stood in.

               A brief amusement touched his face, before fading to his pre-established grimace. “Nevertheless, I do not take lightly the idea of disappointing those whom you care for.” Zelda’s brows drew together as she stared pointedly at the exposed hollow of his collar bone. He had been residing with her in the castle from the snowy months to the first of the warmer ones. Had this hesitance just begun? Or had he been concealing it for her benefit, perhaps not believing she would entertain the idea of their courtship into the year?

               “You are not afraid,” She said with measure, lifting her head to eye him curiously, if not entirely trustfully. “Though something ails you. What is it?”

               He shook his head slowly, a violent spark alight in his amber eyes. He spoke with resent, something cold and buried deep, for the years, no,  _lifetimes,_  he spoke of. “No, I am not afraid. I am tired, Zelda. I am tired of being spit upon, hunted for,  _demonized_  by the Hylian nobles whose ear length measures their egos. I offer peace and am met with war. I cast aside my armor to have munitions unloaded into my chest. I cannot speak for myself, the hands that had borne Power in lifetime’s previous do. And you, you were trained to loathe me before you even met me.”

               “I was also trained to be a lady. Yet I can wield a sword better than any of the men in my royal court. Knowledge isn’t of any use if you don’t learn to exercise your own judgement with it. I would like to think that over my years I have grown to think for myself. You are the worst thing about me, and that speaks much louder of my character than yours. Do not listen to those who do not love you, Ganondorf.”

               “Hard not to hear, your court passes no opportunity to voice their disdain.” He clenched and unclenched his fist, wont to have something to do with his hands. “They are never without complaint. Be it my skin, my dress, my past. Have they not told you that you could not bear children with such dark skin? I am tired of being the villain in their eyes!” He slumped against the stone wall, breaking his careful composure and the rigidness he was stern to keep about him. The last time Zelda had seem him look so defeated, he had a sword struck through his heart.

               His chin sunk into his chest, and his eyes fell closed. “By Din, I’m so tired.”

               Zelda was silent, still with awe as she regarded the man who had taken months to convince her his emotional repertoire expanded beyond lust and authority. She stepped forward, cupped his face in her palms as she smoothed her thumbs over the valleys beneath his eyes. He opened them slowly, the dull amber irises regarding her with a raw sensitivity she felt honored to have seen. She kept her voice stern, locking the overflow of emotion in her eyes only, which bore into his as she spoke. “You are the King of Thieves, and you will  _demand_ their respect. You will _take it_  from them, and I will help you.”

               They shared a prolonged silence as their eyes finished the conversation for them. Moonlight spilled into the corridor they were wedged on, lighting it completely. It was no longer an apt hiding spot, though they no longer needed one.

               “Am I really the worst thing about you?” He asked, a smile parting his lips. Truly, it gave him some satisfaction. He couldn’t be sure if it meant she had hardened or softened since meeting him, though he had an idea.

               She grinned widely in return, a girlish giggle bubbling on her painted lips. “Maybe, in the court’s eyes. But you are my favorite.” She closed the distance between them, and from their lips blossomed triumph.

               He pressed her to the stone wall, the chill of it seeping into the back of her dress, though that was the furthest thing from her find as his warm hands roamed her body, and she swallowed the sun that parted from his tongue with a gasp that he returned with a growl. He was glad she hadn’t pinned up her hair, as his fingers were free to run through her chestnut tresses, once and once more again as she buried her hands in his mane in return.

               “Wisdom suits you.” He breathed once they had parted, taking in the sight of her flushed cheeks and wide eyes. He would never fail to draw pleasure from the effect he had on her. She often reminded him that he was the only one to ever make her feel the way he did.

               “As Power suits you.” She enveloped his hand in hers and dragged him from the archway. He followed willingly, a warm laughter bubbling in his throat. He no longer dreaded the night. In fact, he was quite looking forward to a taste of that wine.

               It took a moment for their presence to be noted in the entryway of the courtyard. Zelda led them to a small dais reserved for courtly announcements, and an expectant hush fell over the crowd, punctuated by the whisperings of those who were sober enough to recognize the king of the Gerudo, and old enough to remember the late King’s disdain for the man. Thought the majority of the crowd, who grew up eclipsed from the previous wars of Hyrule and wished for nothing greater than their future queen’s happiness, looked encouragingly up at the striking couple, who seemed to glow from no other factor than the other’s presence.

               Zelda’s voice rang out among the crowd, proud as church bells. “I am honored to present to the court the honorable Ganondorf Dragmire, King of the Gerudo, my hero, and,” She turned to him briefly, and he saw the stars in her eyes. “My fiancé.”

               He nearly flinched when the crowd broke out in applause.


End file.
